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Reinsurance
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Reinsurance Disclosures [Abstract]  
Reinsurance REINSURANCE
 
The Company participates in reinsurance with third parties primarily to provide additional capacity for future growth, limit the maximum net loss potential arising from large risks and acquire or dispose of businesses.

Effective September 2023, the Company entered into an agreement with Prismic Re, to reinsure approximately $9 billion of reserves, representing approximately 70% of the in-force structured settlement annuities business previously issued by PICA, 90% of which is on a coinsurance with funds withheld basis and 10% of which is on a coinsurance basis. The reinsurance of the structured settlement annuities that provide periodic payments for the lifetime of the annuitant follows reinsurance accounting. The reinsurance of structured settlement annuities that provide payments for a guaranteed period of time and do not include life contingency risk follows deposit accounting. As a result of the transaction, the Company recognized a $240 million deferred reinsurance loss that will be amortized into income over the estimated remaining life of the reinsured contracts.

Effective April 2023, the Company entered into an agreement with The Ohio National Life Insurance Company, now known as AuguStar Life Insurance Company (“AuguStar”), an affiliate of Constellation Insurance Holdings, Inc., to reinsure approximately $10 billion of account values of PDI traditional variable annuity contracts with guaranteed living benefits issued by Pruco Life Insurance Company (“Pruco Life”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Prudential Financial. This block represents approximately 10% of the Company’s remaining legacy in-force traditional variable annuity block by account value. The Company ceded 100% of separate account liabilities under modified coinsurance and 100% of general account liabilities under
coinsurance of its Pruco Life issued PDI traditional variable annuity contracts. The general account liabilities associated with PDI’s guaranteed living and death benefits and the corresponding reinsurance of those liabilities are accounted for as market risk benefits. As a result of the transaction, the Company recognized a $309 million deferred reinsurance gain that will be amortized into income over the estimated remaining life of the reinsured policies.

Effective April 2022, in connection with the sale of the Full Service Retirement business, the Company entered into separate agreements with external counterparties, Great-West and Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company of New York, now known as Empower Annuity Insurance Company of America & Empower Life & Annuity Insurance Company of New York, respectively, to reinsure a portion of its Full Service Retirement business. The Company ceded 100% of separate account liabilities under modified coinsurance and 100% of general account liabilities under coinsurance of its Full Service Retirement business. The Company’s Full Service Retirement business consists of market value and stable value separate accounts as well as general account products, including stable value accumulation funds and a stable value wrap product known as a synthetic guaranteed investment contract. The majority of these products are considered investment contracts as they do not contain significant insurance risk; therefore, the reinsurance of such products are accounted for under deposit accounting. The reinsurance agreement offers the policyholders the opportunity to novate their contracts from the Company to Empower and any such novated contracts shall cease to be reinsured under this agreement.

Effective April 2022, in connection with the sale of the PALAC legal entity, now known as Fortitude Life Insurance and Annuity Company (“FLIAC”), the Company entered into a reinsurance agreement with FLIAC under which the Company assumed all of FLIAC’s indexed variable annuities under modified coinsurance. The reinsurance of the indexed variable annuities transfers all significant risks, including mortality risk, embedded in the reinsured contracts. As a result of the agreement, reinsurance recoverables includes the assumed modified coinsurance receivable, which reflects the value of the invested assets retained by FLIAC and the associated asset returns. The Company also assumed via coinsurance all of FLIAC’s fixed indexed annuities with a guaranteed lifetime withdrawal income feature, which are accounted for under deposit accounting. The reinsurance agreement offers the policyholders the opportunity to novate their contracts from FLIAC to the Company and any such novated contracts shall cease to be reinsured under this agreement.
 
Effective April 2015, the Company entered into an agreement with Union Hamilton Reinsurance, Ltd. (“Union Hamilton”) an external counterparty, to reinsure approximately 50% of the Prudential Premier® Retirement Variable Annuity with Highest Daily Lifetime Income (“HDI”) v.3.0 business, a guaranteed benefit feature. This reinsurance agreement covered most new HDI v.3.0 variable annuity business issued between April 1, 2015 and December 31, 2016 on a quota share basis, with Union Hamilton’s cumulative quota share amounting to $2.9 billion of new rider premiums as of December 31, 2016. Reinsurance on business subject to this agreement remains in force for the duration of the underlying annuity contracts. New sales subsequent to December 31, 2016 are not covered by this external reinsurance agreement. This reinsurance agreement is accounted for as market risk benefits.
 
In January 2013, the Company acquired the Hartford Life Business through reinsurance transactions with three subsidiaries of Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (“Hartford Financial”). Under the related agreements, the Company provided reinsurance for approximately 700,000 life insurance policies with net retained face amount in force of approximately $141 billion. The Company acquired the general account business through a coinsurance arrangement and, for certain types of general account policies, a modified coinsurance arrangement. The Company acquired the separate account business through a modified coinsurance arrangement. In May 2018, Hartford Financial sold a group of operating subsidiaries, which included two of the Company’s counterparties to these reinsurance arrangements, to Talcott Resolution Life Insurance Company (“Talcott Resolution”). Talcott Resolution was acquired by Sixth Street in July 2021. There was no impact to the terms, rights or obligations of the Company, or operation of these reinsurance arrangements, as a result of these changes in control of such counterparties.

Since 2011, the Company has entered into a number of reinsurance agreements to assume pension liabilities in the United Kingdom. Under these arrangements, the Company assumes the longevity risk, and in some arrangements, also the investment risk associated with the pension benefits of certain specified beneficiaries.
 
In 2006, the Company acquired the variable annuity business of The Allstate Corporation (“Allstate”) through a reinsurance transaction. The reinsurance arrangements with Allstate include a coinsurance arrangement associated with the general account liabilities assumed and a modified coinsurance arrangement associated with the separate account liabilities assumed. The reinsurance payable, which represents the Company’s obligation under the modified coinsurance arrangement, is netted with the reinsurance receivable in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position. During the fourth quarter of 2021, Allstate sold the two counterparties to the aforementioned variable annuity reinsurance transaction to third parties. There was
no impact to the terms, rights or obligations of the Company, or operation of these reinsurance arrangements, as a result of this change in control of such counterparties.
 
For the domestic business, life and disability reinsurance is accomplished through various plans of reinsurance, primarily yearly renewable term, per person excess, excess of loss, and coinsurance. On policies sold since 2000, the Company has reinsured a significant portion of the individual life mortality risk. Placement of reinsurance is accomplished primarily on an automatic basis with some specific risks reinsured on a facultative basis. The Company is authorized and has historically retained up to $30 million per life, but reduced its operating retention limit to $20 million per life in 2013 and then down to $10 million per life for new business starting in 2020. Retention in excess of the operating limit is on an exception basis.
 
The international business primarily uses reinsurance to obtain experience with respect to certain new product offerings and to a lesser extent, to mitigate mortality risk for certain protection products and for capital management purposes.

Reinsurance amounts included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for “Premiums,” “Policy charges and fee income,” “Change in value of market risk benefits, net of related hedging gains (losses),” “Policyholders’ benefits” and “Change in estimates of liability for future policy benefits” for the years ended December 31, are as follows:
 
202320222021
 (in millions)
Direct premiums$29,475 $34,721 $30,668 
Reinsurance assumed5,005 4,072 5,699 
Reinsurance ceded(7,116)(2,318)(2,417)
Premiums$27,364 $36,475 $33,950 
Direct policy charges and fee income$3,933 $3,916 $4,750 
Reinsurance assumed1,228 1,247 1,204 
Reinsurance ceded(634)(548)(521)
Policy charges and fee income$4,527 $4,615 $5,433 
Direct change in value of market risk benefits, net of related hedging gains (losses)$123 $(308)$3,645 
Reinsurance assumed120 21 84 
Reinsurance ceded(187)(122)(132)
Change in value of market risk benefits, net of related hedging gains (losses)$56 $(409)$3,597 
Direct policyholders’ benefits$32,044 $38,081 $34,425 
Reinsurance assumed7,128 5,900 6,896 
Reinsurance ceded(8,241)(3,165)(3,330)
Policyholders’ benefits$30,931 $40,816 $37,991 
Direct change in estimates of liability for Future policy benefits$447 $1,504 $(66)
Reinsurance assumed(147)471 (17)
Reinsurance ceded37 (1,321)48 
Change in estimates of liability for future policy benefits$337 $654 $(35)
 
Reinsurance recoverables at December 31, are as follows:
 
20232022
 (in millions)
Individual and group annuities(1)$7,516 $2,078 
Life insurance(2)8,806 7,981 
Other reinsurance415 358 
Total reinsurance recoverables(3)(4)
$16,737 $10,417 
__________
(1)Primarily represents $5,981 million of reinsurance recoverables as of December 31, 2023 established under the reinsurance agreement with Prismic Re under which the Company reinsured a portion of its in-force structured settlement annuities business. The Company has also recorded a funds withheld payable related to the reinsurance agreement with Prismic Re of $8,543 million as of December 31, 2023. Also includes reinsurance recoverables representing the modified coinsurance receivable established under the reinsurance agreement with FLIAC in which the Company assumed all of FLIAC’s indexed variable annuities of $1,485 million and $1,986 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
(2)Includes reinsurance recoverables established under the reinsurance arrangements associated with the acquisition of the Hartford Life Business of $2,090 million and $2,041 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The Company has also recorded reinsurance payables related to the Hartford Life Business acquisition of $1,396 million and $1,327 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
(3)Net of $(12) million and $(15) million of allowance for credit losses as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
(4)Excludes deposit receivables of arrangements that are accounted for under the deposit method of accounting of $10,574 million and $8,576 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Deposit receivables related to the reinsurance agreement with Prismic Re were $3,771 million as of December 31, 2023.

Excluding the reinsurance recoverables associated with the acquisition of the Hartford Life Business, four major reinsurance companies account for approximately 69% of the Company’s reinsurance recoverables as of December 31, 2023. The Company periodically reviews the financial condition of its reinsurers, amounts recoverable therefrom, and unearned reinsurance premium, in order to reduce its exposure to loss from reinsurer insolvencies. Any expected credit losses are reflected in the CECL allowance, after considering any collateral the Company obtained in the form of a trust, letter of credit, or funds withheld arrangement. See Note 2 for additional details regarding CECL. Under the Company’s international longevity reinsurance transactions, the Company obtains collateral from its counterparties to mitigate counterparty default risk.